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(A)A Hymn in Time of National Trouble[a]

89 O Lord, I will always sing of your constant love;
    I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.
I know that your love will last for all time,
    that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.
You said, “I have made a covenant with the man I chose;
    I have promised my servant David,
(B)‘A descendant of yours will always be king;
    I will preserve your dynasty forever.’”

The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do;
    the holy ones sing of your faithfulness, Lord.
No one in heaven is like you, Lord;
    none of the heavenly beings is your equal.
You are feared in the council of the holy ones;
    they all stand in awe of you.

Lord God Almighty, none is as mighty as you;
    in all things you are faithful, O Lord.
You rule over the powerful sea;
    you calm its angry waves.
10 You crushed the monster Rahab[b] and killed it;
    with your mighty strength you defeated your enemies.
11 Heaven is yours, the earth also;
    you made the world and everything in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
    Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you for joy.
13 How powerful you are!
    How great is your strength!
14 Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice;
    love and faithfulness are shown in all you do.

15 How happy are the people who worship you with songs,
    who live in the light of your kindness!
16 Because of you they rejoice all day long,
    and they praise you for your goodness.
17 You give us great victories;
    in your love you make us triumphant.
18 You, O Lord, chose our protector;
    you, the Holy God of Israel, gave us our king.

God's Promise to David

19 In a vision long ago you said to your faithful servants,
    “I have given help to a famous soldier;
    I have given the throne to one I chose from the people.
20 (C)I have made my servant David king
    by anointing him with holy oil.
21 My strength will always be with him,
    my power will make him strong.
22 His enemies will never succeed against him;
    the wicked will not defeat him.
23 I will crush his foes
    and kill everyone who hates him.
24 I will love him and be loyal to him;
    I will make him always victorious.
25 I will extend his kingdom
    from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River.
26 He will say to me,
    ‘You are my father and my God;
    you are my protector and savior.’
27 (D)I will make him my first-born son,
    the greatest of all kings.
28 I will always keep my promise to him,
    and my covenant with him will last forever.
29 His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky;
    a descendant of his will always be king.

30 “But if his descendants disobey my law
    and do not live according to my commands,
31 if they disregard my instructions
    and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish them for their sins;
    I will make them suffer for their wrongs.
33 But I will not stop loving David
    or fail to keep my promise to him.
34 I will not break my covenant with him
    or take back even one promise I made him.

35 “Once and for all I have promised by my holy name:
    I will never lie to David.
36 He will always have descendants,
    and I will watch over his kingdom as long as the sun shines.
37 It will be as permanent as the moon,
    that faithful witness in the sky.”

Lament over the Defeat of the King

38 But you are angry with your chosen king;
    you have deserted and rejected him.
39 You have broken your covenant with your servant
    and thrown his crown in the dirt.
40 You have torn down the walls of his city
    and left his forts in ruins.
41 All who pass by steal his belongings;
    all his neighbors laugh at him.
42 You have given the victory to his enemies;
    you have made them all happy.
43 You have made his weapons useless
    and let him be defeated in battle.
44 You have taken away his royal scepter[c]
    and knocked his throne to the ground.
45 You have made him old before his time
    and covered him with disgrace.

A Prayer for Deliverance

46 Lord, will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your anger burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my life is;
    remember that you created all of us mortal!
48 Who can live and never die?
    How can we humans keep ourselves from the grave?

49 Lord, where are the former proofs of your love?
    Where are the promises you made to David?
50 Don't forget how I, your servant, am insulted,
    how I endure all the curses[d] of the heathen.
51 Your enemies insult your chosen king, O Lord!
    They insult him wherever he goes.

52 Praise the Lord forever!

Amen! Amen!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 89:1 HEBREW TITLE: A poem by Ethan the Ezrahite.
  2. Psalm 89:10 A legendary sea monster which represented the forces of chaos and evil.
  3. Psalm 89:44 Probable text royal scepter; Hebrew purity.
  4. Psalm 89:50 Probable text curses; Hebrew crowds.

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